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Flat Eric: Pickles' office-to-flats plan criticised by businesses and residents' groups

Surbiton.com: August 30, 2013 - 6:00am

Hundreds of people will be moving into new flats being developed “by the backdoor” as developers take advantage of a new loophole in planning laws that allow offices to be turned into homes without planning permission.

Since new laws came into effect in May, Kingston Council has seen notifications for more than 125 flats with the potential to house hundreds more people in the borough. The biggest such office to homes site is in Blagdon Road in New Malden for 77 new flats in an office block but others are scattered across Kingston, Surbiton and Tolworth.

But neighbours do not have a say over the new influx – the brainchild of Conservative Communities Secretary Eric Pickles – which intends to ease the housing crisis with the use of empty buildings. The council also misses out on Section 106 money that it would otherwise get from a normal planning application, which puts funds into transport, education and green spaces in the borough.

Matterhorn Capital New Malden Limited’s plans for eight-storey New Malden House are for 28 one-bedroom and 49 two-bedroom flats. The numbers added up by the Surrey Comet do not include dozens more full planning applications for changing offices into homes, which are decided by councillors.

A total of 17 local authorities including the City of London are exempt. Lambeth Council and Islington Council have become the first two local authorities to launch a judicial review to protect their spaces against the controversial new planning laws. But Coun James said Kingston Council had not lodged an expensive judicial review, although he admitted there would be an eye on whether any of these could set a precedent to change the laws.

The notifications so far: From Kingston Council's planning website

  • 77 flats with 126 bedrooms on six floors of New Malden House, Blagdon Road.
  • Six flats in Apsley House, Wellington Crescent, New Malden.
  • Two flats with five bedrooms in Kingsley House, Tolworth Close, Surbiton.
  • 13 flats with 14 bedrooms in Chichester House, 145a London Road, Kingston.
  • Four bedrooms in Eurolux House, 456 Ewell Road, Surbiton.
  • A bid for flats opposite the Guildhall in 8-10 High Street, Kingston, was laterwithdrawn.
  • Flats in 5 St Mary’s Road, Surbiton.
  • One flat at 85-87 Clarence Street, Kingston.
  • Oriel House, 52 Coombe Road, New Malden.
  • Granted: 24 flats with 28 bedrooms at 1-3 Jupiter Court, Tolworth Rise South, Surbiton.
  • Refused: for unauthorised use: 2 Portsmouth Road, Kingston, Ms Conacher and Mr Molaeb family moved in on March 2013.

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